Caster.



E. HUTTON.

cAsTER. APPLICQTIION FILED Auml?. wss.

Patented Mar. I2, 1918.

EDGAR HUTTON, OF ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND.

CASTER.

Specication'ot Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application led August 17, 1916. Serial No. 115,433.

To all whom 'it 'may concern.'

Ile it known that I. Emmi: lIU'i"1o.\', a Citizen ot (he United States. residing at Annapolis. in tlnl county oi' Anne Arundel, State ol Maryland. ha ve invented a new and uset'ul Faster; and l do hereby declare the following lo he a lnll. clear, and exact description ol' the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the arl to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

'lhis invention relates to an improved caster l'or table legs and the like, and an object ot' the invention is to provide a, device of IhisI kind having means to .vieldably support the inhle so that th(l casing of the caster is ont ol' engagement with the floor, so that the bearing hall or `spherical member will easily roll` when the table is moved, but when weight is applied upon the table Sullicient to overcome the vieldable means, the casing ot' the easter will frictionally bind on the ioor, thereby preventing displacement of the table. .Uthoiigh the raster is shown as applied to a table leg. it is particularly designed for use in connection with a chair leg. so that when sitting on the chair skidding ol the saine will be prevented, thereby preventing injury to the floor covering.

A further ohjeet ot' the. invention is to provide a simple and improved device of this kind, which is efficient and practical, and may be manufactured at a small cost.

In practical fields, the details of construction may necessitate alterations falling within the scope ot' what is claimed.

The invention colnprise` Jfurther features and combination of parts. as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figurc 1 is a view in side elevation of a table, showing a caster applied to each of its legs.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view and partly in elevation of the lower end of one of the legs and one of the casters.

Fig. 3 1S a View similar to Fig. 2 showing the yieldable means having been overcome and the casing of the caster engaging the Hoor.

Fig. 4 is a. cross sectional View on line 4l of Fig. 2.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates a table leg having a bore 2, to receive the shank 3 of the casing 4 of the caster. The lower portion of the casing adjacent the peripheral edge part is slightly underturned, as shown, to form an annular abutment wall 5, to prevent downward movement of the bearing ball or spherical member (S. A plate 7 having a segmental recess 8 is also arranged in the casing 4 of the caster over the bearing ball. A coiled spring 9 is interposed between the plate 7 and the upper enr] of the chamber 10 of the casing of the. caster, thereby holding the plate adjacent the ball, and the ball normally in Contact with the annular abutment wall 5. The bearing ball or spherical member is of such diameter, that the same may lnove upwardly freely in the casing of the caster, that is when the plate 7 likewise moves, which plate is of such a diameter as to move freely in the casing. Arranged in the segmental recess 8 of said plate 7 is a series of anti-frictional ball bearings 11` with which the bearing ball engages, so that the ball may freely rotate or roll on the Hoor. In constructing the caster, the spring, the plate 7 and the bearin" ball, together with the anti-frietional ball bearing, are first arranged in said casing, then the lower edge portion of the casing is undertnrned, to provide the annular abutment wall 5. so as to retain said parts in place. The spring 9 is ot' such strength as to support, when without weight or pressure, so that the lower edge part of the casing of the caster is out of engagement with the loor, so that the table or chair may be moved from one place to another. However. when pressure or weight is applied upon the table or chair, the tension of the spring is so overcome that the lower edge part of the casing will frictionally engage the Hoor, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby preventing skidding of the table or chair. The upper end of the chamber of the casing and the upper face of the plate are provided with recesses 12 and 13 to receive the opposite ends of the spring, to prevent displacement of the spring.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:

In a caster, a cylindrical tubular caster casing having a lower open flanged end, and an upper closed end provided with an axially extending extension t into the leg of an article of furniture, a bearing ball in said casing adapted to partly protrude through said flanged open end, a circular one iece plate. fitting the, cylindrical hollow o the casing slidably and rotatably therein, the upper face of said plate and the lnner closed end of the easter casing having axially alned circular recesses of less diameters than the interior of the casing, the under face of said plate being provided with a 5 spherical hearing cavity engaging said ball,

said bearing eavil'y having an auxiliary cavilly concentric with said ball and having its inner end closed, antifricti0nal balls in the auxiliary cavity, and a coil spring between l 0 said plate and the closed end of the hollow of said easing and having its opposite ends engaging sald circular recesses to hold the spring centered.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name te this specilieation in the presence of 15 two subscribing wil nesses.

.EDGAR HUTTON. Witnesses:

JAMES M. MUNaoE, CHARLoTTE A. BnANzELL. 

